Something Called Love
by beautiful-isabelle-fuhrman
Summary: Katniss and Peeta where not the only pair of star-crossed lovers in the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Clove and Cato knew each other before the Hunger Game, too. But what exactly happened between them? Another Clato :D
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my new story :D I started writing this before Just a Journey, but never posted it... So enjoy**

I stand there in The Academy weapons classroom with knives wielded in my hands. The targets are lined up along the wall. I take a deep breath and throw my knives at the targets. Each blade cuts through the air ending at the other end of the room in less than a second. The knives make a whizzing sound as they fly out of my hands and stop when they hit the target board.

After the last weapon has left my hand, I look up to see all of the targets pierced with a knife, each one a bulls-eye. Running, I retrieve the knives, forcefully yanking each out. After replacing the knives back, I look up to see everyone staring at me, eyes wide and mouths open.

Most of them turn away and pretend that they weren't just staring at me when I see their reaction. Only two didn't drop their stares. One was Mrs. Redding, the weapons teacher, who applauded me. The other was someone I couldn't believe was still looking at me. He smiled at me. His tall muscular body, with his light blonde hair wouldn't turn away. The boy all the other girls talked about, Cato, the strong swordsman. He was 3 years older than me, but I have had a crush since the day I came to the academy.

The bell for the end of class rang and I dropped our gaze. Mrs. Redding shouts, "Good job everyone, you will get your partners at the end of the day." I picked up my bag and rushed out the door with everyone else. My first day of this school year hasn't gone so well. I still don't have a friend. I never really had a friend the previous year's either. I usually just keep to myself and don't talk to anyone.

I push through the masses of people in the hall and make it to my next class on time. The Survival classroom was filled with supplies and practice areas. Mr. Rommel, the survivals teacher, marched into the room and posted the partner list. I walked over to the list and scanned the list for my name. _Clove Greenleaf partnered with Danny Reed. _I guess that wasn't so bad. He was one of the nerdier guys in the class. He wasn't exactly good looking either, so at least I won't be distracted by blinding hotness.

I sat down at our assigned table and pulled out my notebook. Danny came and sat next to me. Even with my head faced downward, I could feel his deep brown eyes staring me down. My eyes lift from my notebook and I give him an awkward, forced half smile and a small wave. Danny's eyes light up and his smile gets really big. He starts to wave like a maniac with his giant smile and wide eyes when I avert my head back toward my notes and try to ignore him.

"Everyone quiet down!" Mr. Rommel yells, "You and your partner must now collect notes on what you two think you need to survive a Hunger Games. You have 5 minutes." Danny scoots closer to me and puts his elbows on the desk, resting his head on his hands, staring me down with a large smile on his face.

"You first," he insists as his glasses slide down his nose.

"Well, um-," I shyly start, "maybe go find some drinkable water." As I quietly continue, he repositions his glasses back on his face. Danny yawns and stretches his arms, resting one on my shoulders. I swiftly grab his arm, ripping it off me, and putting him in a headlock. The whole class has stopped to watch us. "Don't you ever do that again," I angrily shout. The color in his lips starts to fade into a faint blue as I can barely feel him nod his head.

I shove my notebook into my bag and storm out of the room. Danny had just embarrassed me in front of the whole class and I felt like a complete idiot. None of the teachers really care if you storm out of class, though, they love a good show.

I made my way down the hallways and thought about Cato. He probably thought I was a monster. He probably thought I was crazy for acting like that. He might even be afraid of me now. A tear dripped down my face and I tried quickly wiping it away. But by the time I got to the girls bathroom, they were flowing in streams down my face.

I locked myself in a stall and cried. _I am so weak,_ I thought to myself. To my surprise, someone walked into the room. "Clove?" an unfamiliar voice echoed on the tiled walls.

I shouted from the locked stall I was sat in, "What?" I spat. I wasn't really in the mood for visitors.

"Are you okay?" her sweet calming voice soothes me.

"Somewhat," I mutter. I stand up and kick open the door. I walk over to the sink and flush my face with water.

I turn over to look at who came in. The skinny blonde girl my height looked to me and smiled. "Let me fix you up," she said as she brought me to a chair and sat me down. She pulled a makeup bag out of her bag and I jolted out of my seat. She grabbed my arm and sat me back down. "I only want to make you look like you didn't just cry, sweetheart," she reassured, "I'm Misty, I was sitting behind you in class. Good job standing up for yourself girl!" I smiled. I closed my eyes and she started to apply the thin coat of makeup on my pale skin.

After she was finished, she led me to the mirror over the sink. I looked up at myself, my skin wasn't blotchy anymore and my eyes didn't seem to be as red as before. "Thanks Misty,"

The bell rings and we head off to lunch. I sat with her at lunch and we talked about ourselves. In the middle of our conversation, a muscular brunette boy by the name of Darren came over and enveloped her in a hug. Then, they started to kiss.

I lifted my bag from the ground as I walked out the lunch hall and headed for my locker. I couldn't stand being around people while they kissed. I didn't want to stand there watching them, waiting for them to stop. It also makes me jealous because I am not loved like that by someone other than my family. Even sometimes, I question if my family loves me.

I slump down against the lockers and rest my head in my knees. "I don't get how that would ever be a comfortable position to sit in." The voice startles me. I let out a small scream and fall over. I never expected anyone to come to the lockers. No one really goes to their lockers during school. They usually just go before and after school starts.

I look up to see that Cato was staring down at me with a large grin on his face. He gives out a small laugh. I sit myself back up and try not to look at him. Cato walks over to his locker three feet away from me and opens it, shoving his books in.

"I don't get it," he starts, "You never talk to anyone, and then when a guy shows any interest in you, you freak out and scream at him." My emotions start to well up inside me like a large army waiting to attack.

"Well, I don't like it. If I want a guy to show me he likes me, I don't want him to attack me!" I blurt.

"Oh my gosh, she talks," Cato jokes as he squats beside me. His bright ocean blue eyes meet mine for a millisecond when I turn away. "Screaming and that," Cato adds mumbling putting a large emphasis on 'that'.

"What do I do?" I bark. I move my stare upward to the ceiling. "Avoid eye-contact," he laughs. The bell gives a long awaited ring and Cato stands up. "Bye Clove," he says as he stands up and walks to class.

Cato knows my name. I am overjoyed; I stand up and make my way over to Games Studies class. I sit down in the only empty seat left which was in the front corner of the classroom. The teacher then turned on a recording of the first Hunger Games. Through the year in this class, we will go over techniques used in the games, survival strategies, and the arenas. It's a pretty interesting class, though, you get to see everything that worked and didn't work for tributes.

After the class ends, I walk to my last class of the day, weapons training. At the academy you have four classes a day. Two of them are Weapons training, and the other two are any other class that does not involve fighting and weapons that rotate every day (ex. Etiquette, Edible Foods, Snares, etc).

I walk back into the familiar setting of the weapons classroom. Everyone stands around the room talking to friends, while I stand there and look at the floor. I resist the urge of going straight to the knives because they are the closest I have to friends at the moment.

"Sorry I am late class," Mrs. Redding states as she trots into the room, "I lost my partner sheet." You could hear a few groans around the room as she remembered about giving us partners.

She pulled a flimsy sheet of paper from her desk and began to read the list of partners. "Clove Greenleaf and Cato Jet," she yelled. She had to pair me with Cato, didn't she? I am going to make a complete fool of myself in front of me.

I stared at the floor and walked to my assigned seat next to Cato and sat down, not looking up once. Cato sat down shortly after me and leaned back in his chair. "If you fall over I will laugh at you," I warn him.

"Okay everyone, go find a station," Mrs. Redding calls out. Everyone stands up and scatter in different directions with their partners. Cato stands up, and walks over to the hand to hand combat station. I pause and stare. Does he really want me to do hand to hand combat.

Cato holds out his hands and motions for us to fight. I lunge in to attack but he grabs my arm and flips me onto the floor. I hit the floor and a shot of pain run through me, but it disappears as quickly as it came.

"You okay?" he asks.

Being in complete shock, I can't talk or make a noise to answer him. I manage to nod my head slightly as my mouth hangs open. I probably looked like such an idiot.

Cato reaches out a hand to help me up and I flip him over into the open mat space above my head and flip myself so I am pinning him down and my face and body hovering in the air inches from his. I stare straight at him for a few seconds with a big smile. My dark brown hair dangles over his face, "So you say I don't make eye-contact," I say jokingly.

Cato gives out a small laugh and smiles. He grabs my sides and lifts me off of him. This is the first time I just stop thinking about everything else around me. I just feel amazing.

I hop to my feet and we fight again. Every time I knock Cato over, I feel terrible, like I could have hurt him. He laughs it off and jumps back to his feet.

The bell gives out a long ring, and then I realize, the day is over. I walk to my locker and grab my stuff. I can't help but notice all the hushed whispers and stares aimed in my direction. I try to ignore them, but not with much luck.

The only time the whispers and stares went away was when I left Academy grounds, but I had a feeling someone was following me. I shake it off and think about Cato. The way he smiled at me. The way his bright blue eyes shined in the light. The way his laugh echoed through me. The way his voice numbed my body when he spoke to me.

Continuing on my usual route, I walked past the row of stores and turned through the park. I stopped and sprawled out on a field. I stared toward the sky and smiled.

I heard a small laugh come from behind that echoed inside me. I closed my eyes and embraced the feeling that his laugh gave me. "Why are you following me, Cato?" I sighed. I heard him walk across the field over to me.

"Because I want to know more about you," Cato admits. I turn to him and shoot him a questioning look. What did he mean by that? "You aren't like other girls," he explained, "You don't talk a lot, you keep to yourself, and you have no interest in guys whatsoever." My eyes float down and my cheeks get bright red. I try to hide it by throwing my hair in front of my face, but it doesn't work.

"Oh you like some," he teases, "so who is this guy that is blessed to be loved by Clove?" I lean over and lightly push him to the ground. "None of your business," I shout back to him as I stand up and walk away.

In seconds, Cato is next to me. "Okay, how about I have one guess on who it is a day and you have to stare me straight in the eye and tell me if I am correct or not," he insists, "and if I think you are lying, you have to tell me the truth."

I stop and think. I finally manage to pull an answer together, "Okay, but you can only ask if I am lying once, got it?"

Cato grabs my hand and shakes it. "Deal." His smile warms my body, which makes me smile, too.

Cato turns and leaves to go home, and I continue to walk my route back. I feel so happy. I feel like I am floating. I hardly even notice that my foot has started to bleed.

I walk into my house make my way towards the living room. "I'm home," I yell. I walk across the room towards the bathroom.

I push myself onto the counter and stick my bleeding foot in the sink. The cold water rushes over my foot and I relax. I lean back and think of Cato. Out of everyone in the school he could talk to, he talks to me, vicious, shy Clove. I think back to weapons class when I was literally on top of him. A smile crosses my face when I think of him laughing and pulling me of him.

"What are you so happy about Clove?" my brother's voice wipes the smile from my face, "You never smile like this after a school day."

I slide off the counter and grab my bag from the floor. "Go away Glen," I say as I shove him out of my way. Glen runs behind me throws me over his shoulder and drops me on the couch. He pins me down and I scream and squirm, trying to release myself from his grip.

It was no use; I couldn't move his 19 year old muscular body off of me. I stopped trying to get away and laid on the couch in defeat. I couldn't help but thinking of me pinning Cato down again. I wanted to smile, but hid it.

Glen stared at me as to say "I am watching you," and starts to unpin me. As soon as he lifted his hands off my shoulders, I bolt up to my room. I close the door and fall on my bed, almost immediately falling asleep.

**What'd ya think? :) Thanks for reading guys. New chapter coming soon! **


	2. Chapter 2

_The stage was just as I remembered from previous years. A video plays on the screen above the large stage. I stand there in a line of 15 year old girls, staring at the stage. The video finishes and our Capitol announcer, Bennett Murdock, speaks into the microphone. _

_"Now then, let's start with the ladies, as usual." Bennett walks to one of the giant glass balls and pulls a single slip of paper. He walks silently back to the microphone and announces, "Clove Greenleaf." I freeze and almost burst into tears. Someone will volunteer, right? _

_I make my way to the stage trying to look happy that I was picked and walk up to Bennett. His Capitol face is creepier in person. "Any Volunteers?" he asks, expecting a crowd of people to jump up at the stage. But, to my worst ever thoughts, no one did. They all stared at me._

* * *

I wake up with a jolt and sit straight up in my bed. I slow my rapid breathing down and start to bawl. I would never survive a Hunger Games. Yes, I would go far, but I couldn't win. I must try my hardest today to train so if I am picked next year, I will be ready. I pull myself together and get dressed.

The house is unusually quiet for a weekday morning. All I can hear is the sound of the TV buzzing.

I pull on my shoes, grab my bag, and start walking to school. The fresh air outside is already warm at 6 AM, which signals that today is going to be hot, which isn't that odd for a day in the beginning of September. The trees give a nice amount of shade to cover from the rising sun.

I walk through the Academy doors to my first class, Weaponry and Fighting Training. I walk to my seat and pull out my notes. The bell rings and everyone files into the classroom, laughing and talking. They all take their seats.

After everyone sits down, I realize Cato is the only one not here.

"Okay everyone; let's start with a weapons quiz. You can work with your partner," Mrs. Redding says as she stands up and passes out the papers. She sits back down at her desk and we begin.

Five minutes into class, a hurried Cato runs in and sits in his seat next to me. He takes the paper and writes in the rest of the answers. He walks the test to the front of the room and sits back down next to me. "When you are done with the quiz, you can go work on training," Mrs. Redding announces, staring at us.

Cato stands up and walks to the swords. He picks up a long one broad sword and lunges at the practice dummy. He swipes at its neck and the head drops to the floor. He smiles in accomplishment.

Cato steps back and gestures for me to try. I hesitate, but reluctantly pick up a smaller, lighter swords and attack.

I try to hit the dummy, but miss by a few inches. I heard a few snickers from the other end of the class room. I try to chop the arm off, but only end up going ¼ of the way through the limb. A few guys burst out laughing behind me and a couple girls snicker.

I drop the sword and storm over to the knives. I close my eyes and got bulls-eye on all the targets. I grab one more knife and throw it while facing backwards. Everyone stared at me. It felt good to show them I had a chance, that I wasn't terrible.

Cato smiled over from the sword section and gave me thumbs up. I returned his smile and retrieved the knives.

Once the knives were replaced, I walked back over to my seat. Cato was standing waiting for me at the table. "You have quite a temper," he states.

I look at the ground and whisper, "Uh yea."

The bell rings and I pick up my bag and walk over to snares class. I hear Cato behind me, but he stops to talk to his friends. I enter the classroom that is filling with other students. "Hi Clove, I'm Marilee," a tall brunette says as she walks toward me. "Do you want to be my partner today?" Her bright white smile and gleaming green eyes stared me down.

"Uh, sure," I managed to mumble, shyly. We walked over to a table and sat down.

"So," she started, "I can't help but notice you and Cato have a thing for each other which is weird because you guys are three years apart and all."

I looked at her and said, "We are just friends." That statement was true. Cato probably wanted us to be just friends.

"Well good because Cato is mine," she announced, "If you even try to be with him you are dead."

The class started and Marilee built all the snares very quickly, while I seemed to struggle. I could never seem to get the snares to work.

When the class was over I went straight to the girl's bathroom and sat on the chair in the corner. No girls really use this bathroom; they all use the remodeled one in the lunch hall. I wonder what Cato thought of me disappearing like this.

A knock came from the door and an unfamiliar male voice sounded. "Hello? Is anyone here?" I jumped behind the large chair I was sat in and hid. I just hope that this isn't someone helping Marilee find and kill me.

The door creaked open and shut again. The footsteps came closer stopped in front of the chair. He moved the chair I was behind. Before I could see who it was, I turned away and shut my eyes. "Please don't kill me," I squeaked. A tear escaped my eyes that were closed tight.

The boy laughed, "Kill you?" I looked up to see a tall brown haired boy with deep brown eyes looking down at me. He reaches down and helps me up onto the chair.

"What do you want with me then?" I ask, wiping away my tear.

"Cato was worried about you," he clarified. "We have been searching all of lunch for you. I will go get him." The boy stood up and started to walk to the door to get Cato.

"Wait no," I urgently shout, "I don't want to see him."

He looks at me and then answers, "Okay, then." He pops his head out the door and shouts down the hall. "Cato, your girlfriend doesn't want to see you."

I could hear Cato run towards the door and try to push him away. "Nathan, let me see her," he yells angrily, "And for the last time, she is not my girlfriend."

Nathan blocks the door and orders, "Nope you can't see her. That was a strict request from the Clove."

I give out a small laugh walk over to the sink and wash my face with water. Nathan turns to me and politely asks, "He wants to know when he can see you."

I sigh and answer, "He can't." I sit back down in the chair and hug my knees. Nathan shouts back to me in a Cato mimicking voice, "Cato asks, 'Why why why I miss you because I love you.'"

I heard Cato shouting to Nathan, "I did not!"

I sat there in silence and finally work up the nerve to give my answer. "I don't want to die."

Cato pushes Nathan aside and runs to me. He kneels beside me and stares at me. I look away from him and stare at my dirty running shoes. "What are you talking about?" he says softly.

I bury my head in my knees, so I don't have to see him. He touches my shoulder, but I hit it away. "If you leave I won't die," I say, muffling the words in my jeans.

"Come on Cato, she wants you to leave," Nathan insisted. Cato stood up and left with Nathan not too far behind. I heard the door squeak open and then shut again.

I waited five minutes and then I picked up my bag and walked to my next class, Poisonous Foods. I sat down at a table and looked at the textbook. The bell rang and everyone started to trickle in. "Excuse me, but is this seat taken?" I look up and see a tall muscular blonde boy with white teeth and brown eyes staring at me. I have to admit, he was stunning. I turned back to the textbook and continued reading.

"Uh no you can sit." He slid into the chair and turned to me. He closed my text book and pushed it away. I looked up to glare at him, but he just sat there smiling.

"I'm Drew," he said.

"Clove. Nice to meet you," I reply.

The teacher comes in and speaks, "Hello class, please read in your textbook on chapter 1." She sits down and starts to read her own book. I drag my textbook back over and reopen it. I couldn't help but feel that someone was staring at me.

"Hey, so you want to hang out later?" Drew asks. No matter how stunning he may be, he wasn't my type.

"I have something to do," I reply. The bell rings and I collect my bag and stand up.

"What something?" he questions while leaning on the doorframe, preventing me from leaving. I stop and turn to him.

"Anything but hanging out with you." I suddenly heard a lot of people around me say "ooohhh." Then I realize that a large group has formed around us to watch.

I push through the crowds and walk out the doors of the Academy. A hand rests on my shoulder. I grab it and flip the person over onto the ground. The person lays groaning in front of me.

"Cato, oh my gosh, I am so sorry. Are you okay?" I lean over next to him and help him up.

"Well I didn't expect that," he moans. He brushes the dirt off his clothes and checks himself for any serious injuries.

"Sorry, I thought you were Marilee," I apologize. Cato stops prodding his ribs and grabs my wrist. He drags me through the park to the field where we sat yesterday. He drops my wrist and sits down.

"Tell me everything," he insists.

I began, "No Cato I-"

"Tell me Clove," Cato barks at me harshly.

I tell him everything she said that class period. My voice gets softer when I mention the death threat.

When I finish, Cato punches the ground. "I can't believe her!" he yells. He walks around punching everything for about ten minutes.

After his little tantrum, Cato turns to me, stares into my eyes, and puts his hand on my shoulder. I flinch and he removes his hand off of me. He leans in and speaks softly, "If you are ever in trouble, shout for me. That is not guaranteeing that I will hear you and come help you, okay?"

I nod my head.

"Good," he whispers.

We sit there and stare at the trees for a minute.

"You are a really good friend," I whisper sincerely.

Cato turns to me and leans in to hug me, but I move away. "Friends can hug you know," he jokes.

"I don't like hugs," I exclaim.

He laughs a little. "Nathan," he said.

"What are you talking about?" I question.

"Do you like Nathan?" he asks, "I haven't used my guess for today yet."

I turn and look straight at him and answer. "No." Cato leans back and thinks.

He finally speaks, "Okay I believe you for now."

Suddenly, Cato lunges at me and wraps his arms around me. I scream and squeeze out of his grasp. I laugh and run as he chases me around the park trying to catch me. He will catch me and I will escape from him. He finally grabs me and we both fall to the ground laughing.

I look at the sky to see the sun setting, the colors of orange and pink mixing together. Then it hits me, it is sunset.

I pull away from Cato and stand up. "It's so late," I gasp as I reach for my bag, "I need to go." I start running towards my house and not turning back. I sprint all the way to my little blue two story house and don't break for a second.

I open the door and close it behind me. Immediately, my mom runs and pulls me into a hug. I pry my way out and my mom yells at me. "What took you so long? We were getting worried."

She starts to tear up, so I bring her over to the living room couch and sit her down. "Sorry mom, I was helping a friend," I lied.

Her deep brown hair lied in a messy bun on her head and her tear-filled brown eyes look up at me. "I'm so sorry," I whisper.

I stand up and walk up to my room. I quietly shut my door and sit on the edge of my bed when Glen bursts into the room. "Who's the guy?" he demands as he sits on my bed.

"There is no guy," I reply. My brother glares at me for a minute and then jumps up from my bed and points to the ceiling shouting, "I will find out!"

He then runs out of my room and shut the door. I smiled; I loved having a brother.

I curl up and think about Cato. I feel a lot safer now that he is trying to protect me. I fall asleep with Cato on my mind.

* * *

_Cato lunges at me and wraps his arms around me. I scream and squeeze out of his grasp. I laugh and run as he chases me around the park trying to catch me. He will catch me and I will escape from him. He finally grabs me and we both fall to the ground laughing. I look at the sky to see the sun setting, the colors of orange and pink mixing together. I lean over to Cato and rest my head on his shoulder. His head turns to me and he whispers in my ear, "I know you don't like hugs, but what about kisses?"_

* * *

My eyes shoot open at the sound of a knock at my door. I walk to it and open it. My dad stands there holding a plate of hot food and peppermint tea.

He smiles and asks, "You didn't come down for dinner, Clove." I run my fingers through my hair and take the plate.

"Sorry, I was asleep. And thank you for bringing it to me," I smile.

"No problem Munchkin," he laughs. My dad walks away and disappears as he walks down the stairs. I close the door behind me and eat on my floor. I very soon find out that I have no appetite and just nibble on the food to make it look like I tried eating. I drink all of the tea because it is the only thing I can really enjoy at this moment.

My mind rumbled with my thoughts. _Could Cato like me? If I didn't run away when I did, would he have kissed me? _I trashed the thoughts because I realized that those thoughts actually being true are near to impossible.

I stood up and brought my unfinished plate downstairs. "You not hungry?" my mom asks.

"Not really," I reply. I walk back up stairs into my room.

I fall on my bed and curl back up. I think about Cato; him trying to hug me and me squealing and running away. I start to fall asleep, again, thinking about Cato.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I have been really busy lately, but here is a new chapter and the next one will be up by tomorrow if I don't procrastinate or forget. Love you all!**

The rest of the week went by pretty quickly. Everyday Cato and I would meet in the park for a few minutes; he would guess who I liked and I would always answer, "No." His company was relieving for me. I was always happy when he was around. It was fun to have Nathan around, too. Both of them were always joking and happy.

I arrive at school and walk to Weapons and Fighting Training. Cato is already there, sword fighting with another guy. They aren't using real swords, so neither of them can get seriously hurt. Cato hits the other guy down and smiles in victory. He put his sword down and walks over to me.

"Hi," I smile.

Returning my smile, he replies, "Hey, let's go to hand to hand combat."

We walk over to the empty station and start to fight. Cato immediately knocks me off balance, sending me hurdling to the floor.

"Hey, Cato," some guys shout from behind me. I pick myself up and turn around to face them.

There were four of them. All of them are about Cato's height and have short brown hair. The main one turns to me and smiles, "Hello beautiful."

I look down at the floor and cross my arms. No one but my family has ever called me beautiful. I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

Cato walked forward so he was closer to the group of guys. "Shane," Cato said, acknowledging the main guy of the group.

Shane speaks again. "I saw you fighting, earlier, with that sword. I was wondering if you wanted to fight someone a little above your level of skill."

I could see Cato tense up, his fists clenched in tight balls by his sides. "Cato," I whisper, trying to calm him down. I didn't want him getting in a fight today. I didn't want him to get in a fight ever.

I reached over and touched his arm, which instantly relaxed him.

"Come on, Clove," he said, gently pushing me away.

"Oh so your name is Clove?" Shane asks as he walks in front of me, "You have so many better options for a boyfriend."

I shove Shane away. "He is not my boyfriend," I tell him.

Shane reaches over and rests his hands on my shoulder. I flinch and try to pull away, but his hand starts to grab my shoulder tightly.

"Leave her alone Shane," Cato shouts ripping Shane's hand off of me.

I run to my seat and face away from them. The whole class has gathered around to watch by the time I sit down. I block out the noise from the fight and close my eyes. I imagine that I am in the park with Cato and Nathan. The world almost seems normal.

I hear a shriek from the fight, and my eyes shoot open. I hop up from the desk and rush over. I make my way through the crowd to find Shane unconscious on the floor. I run over to Cato and catch him as he falls. I lower him to the floor and can tell that he is losing consciousness. He only has a few bruises and a bloody nose, which is better than Shane, who is fairly battered.

"Hi," Cato says, barely audible. His eyes are struggling to stay open as he talks.

"Hi, Cato," I whisper. I smile at him, hoping it would make him happy.

Fortunately, he smiles back. "I-I-I-," Cato started, but fell unconscious in the middle of talking.

"Can someone help me?" Two guys come forward and help me carry the boys to the infirmary. One helps me carry Cato, the other carries Shane. They set the boys down on the infirmary beds and walk back to class.

I sat in the waiting room until lunch. I missed a whole class period, but I don't care. The nurse comes into the waiting room and calls me over. I jump out of my seat and run toward her. She walks me over to Cato's room and opens the curtains. When I walk in, Cato sits straight up and smiles.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Cato apologizes and rubs the back of his neck, "I shouldn't have gotten in a fight, Clove. It is just that- I'm so sorry." He pauses and whispers, "I'm sorry."

"Cato it's fine," I convince him.

The nurse walks back into Cato's room. "You can go sweetheart. You are all patched up," she says.

I help Cato out of his bed and walk him to the infirmary desk to receive his bag. "Here you go," the lady says as she hands him the bag. The bell rings and we walk to our next class. I sit down in Edible Plants and grab a textbook while Cato walks one door down to Survival Studies. The teacher announces that all we have to do is read chapter 1 and write down some notes. I finish the chapter just as the bell rings.

I collect my bag and meet Cato in the Weaponry and Fighting classroom. He is sitting down at our table. He looks almost back to normal. All he has left to fix are the bruises. I walk over and sit next to him. He sends a faint smile in my direction.

The end of the day couldn't come any faster. The bell rings and I hop up out of my seat. I drag Cato out of school with me. We laugh about Shane the whole way to the park.

"You completely beat him up," I laughed.

Cato and I lie down on the grass laughing. There is a breeze coming from the west and flowing through the trees. I close my eyes and feel the breeze between my fingers. Today was a beautiful day. The sound of mocking-jays above me and Cato's presence made me smile.

"Clove? Can I ask you something?" Cato says quietly.

"Yes, of course," I answer. I turn my head over to face him.

Cato stares at me for a while. But, he finally talks, "Uh never mind, I will ask you Monday," he says, standing up.

"See you Monday Cato," I reply. I see him walk around the corner. After I lost sight of him, I get up.

I try to stand up and stretch, only to be knocked down to where I just was lying. My body hits the ground with a loud thud. I look up and see a tall figure swinging something at my head. I roll out of the way just in time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this chapter is so short, but here it is! **

Marilee stands above me and smirks. Her brown messy hair falls in her face and sways wildly around her head. "I guess you didn't think I would hurt you, Clove, did you? This is going to be fun."

I turn my head away from her and yell for help. I yell the first name that comes into my mind. "CATO!" I scream in terror, "CATO!"

Something pierces my arm, sending shots of pain shooting through my arm, and I give out a loud scream. I clutch my arm to reveal a large gash that is rapidly bleeding.

"Oh no, Clove, Cato isn't here to save you now, is he?" Marilee says, clutching a blood-stained knife in her hand. "You're so useless! You have to actually cry for help. Pathetic." I start to panic and try to back away from her when she steps on my stomach, keeping me from moving. "I know you have been seeing him after school here every day. I know you love him."

Marilee twirls a knife in her hand and grins. "Too bad you can't be together. Cato can't marry someone who's dead." She chuckles deviously and tosses the knife between her hands that have been stained red with blood, my blood.

There is no way I can escape now. _I'm going to die here._

I think Marilee knows I have finally given up.

She laughs at my defeat. "This is too easy." Marilee leans over and starts carving something into my leg with the knife. I yelp from the pain that shoots through my shin. She giggles at the torture she is causing me. I can't take this slow death anymore.

"CATO!" I frantically yell, "CATO!"

"CLOVE!" I hear Cato faintly in the distance.

Marilee hears Cato too and quickly reacts. "I warned you to stay away from him," she announces. Marilee takes the knife and jams it into my ribs. I cry out in pain. Marilee runs away in the opposite direction of Cato's yell.

Everything is slipping away from me. The Mockingjays seemed to quiet and the wind stopped blowing. I look at the grass surrounding me. All of the green tips of the grass were now stained red with blood. I look back up again. The sky seems to get brighter with each passing second.

A shadow appears above my head. I start to see the shadow turn into someone. It's Cato. His lips are moving but I can't hear what he is saying. Everything is silent.

Suddenly, I feel very tired. My eyes try to flutter asleep, but Cato touches my face and saying what looks like "Don't sleep."

Cato scoops me up, cradling me in his arms, and starts walking. I look up at him as he walks. He has this look of panic plastered onto his face. He knows that I'm already dead. There is no chance of living.

I'm scared. I'm scared for my life. _I'm going to die. _My breath quickens and I panic. _I'm dead._

"Cato," I whisper. He can't hear me. A tear escapes my tired eyes. It runs down my cheek onto Cato's forearm.

Cato looks down at me. I give him a soft smile to cover up the scared look on my face.

He smiles back at me weakly. The sky grows brighter around Cato's face. I can faintly see Cato drop his smile and look afraid. "No, Clove!" I hear him faintly scream and pat my cheek. "Don't go," he chokes. The sky envelopes everything in a blindingly bright light for a moment before it all turns dark.

**Again, sorry for short chapter. I will update ASAP**


	5. Chapter 5

**YAY UPDATE WOOP WOOP! Hope you like it :)**

I wake up to bright lights and an antiseptic smell. There is no question that I am in a hospital. I look around the room and find it empty. I need to find people.

I sit up and feel the stinging pain in my rib cage. I lay back down to rest for a minute. I manage to find the nurse call button and push it. A short lady with sleek, black hair comes in and gives me some medicine.

"Where is everyone?" I ask her. I want to see someone I love next to me right now; I don't care which one, I just want to see one of them.

The nurse turns around. "Sleeping," she shushes.

"Is anyone awake?" I plead. The nurse turns and walks out of the room, leaving me sitting here alone. I stare at the ceiling and wait for her to come back. The beeping of machines next to me is very distracting. I don't get how I slept through this noise.

The curtains to my room part and I see my nurse with Cato behind her. I immediately burst into tears when he walks in.

Cato runs to my side. "Clove, are you okay?" He strokes the tears away from my cheek softly. I lean over and hug him. It feels like he is cradling me in his arms again. The nurse leaves my room, closing the curtains behind her.

"You saved my life," I choke. I can barely speak as I sob violently with my face pressed into my hands. Cato crouches next to me and lifts my head up with his hand.

"Clove I put your life in danger. If I never became your friend, this wouldn't have happened." Cato is angry that he even let this happen to me in the first place. I get myself together and stop crying.

"I don't even care. You saved my life." Cato stares me straight in the eye. I guess he doesn't believe that I don't care that he put my life in danger. "I'm serious Cato. Don't do this to yourself. It wasn't your fault."

Cato stands there and stares at his worn down sneakers. His icy blue eyes stare down at the floor. I know that he will never forgive himself for this. "Tell me what happened."

Cato lifted his gaze up from the floor and stares at me. "What do you mean?" He sits down on the floor next to my bed and looks up to me.

"What happened after I passed out?"

Cato waits for a moment, and then he stand up and grabs a chair. He sits down next to my hospital bed and I lightly grasp his wrist for comfort.

Cato starts, "Well I picked you up to take you home, but I don't know where you live, so I went around asking everyone if they knew where the Greenleaf's home is. I found one man who knew where you lived and decided to walk me to your house. Halfway there, you were bleeding really badly, so I had to take off my shirt and use it as sort of a bandage on you. We finally got to your house, so the man left." Cato paused and looked down at his lap. "I never said thank you to him." Cato paused for a minute and let himself mentally yell at himself for not thanking the man. He finally looked back at me and continued," I knocked on your door and then realized I am a shirtless man holding their unconscious daughter, who was dying. Fortunately, they let me into the house.

"Your mom dad borrowed your neighbor's car and drove you here. I stayed behind and walked to the hospital with your brother. We talked the whole way here." Cato finishes and adds, "I am so glad you are okay."

"See? You could have left me to die, but you didn't. So don't hate yourself Evans."

"Okay, I won't." We sat there for a few minutes smiling at each other before I spoke up.

"What day is it?" I ask.

"Only 2 AM Sunday morning," Cato replies.

"You need sleep!" I yell at him. I wonder how long he was up for. "I need sleep!"

"See you tomorrow Clove," he smiles as he leaves the room. I want to plead him to stay and watch over me, but he is far gone now. I guess I have to wait until morning.

_We lay in the soft grass on the field. The leaves have started to change colors and fall to the ground. I pick up an orange leaf and lay it on Cato's face. He brushes it off and grabs a handful of leaves and showers me with them. _

_I smile and leave them on me. The leaves rest on my freckled skin. Stand up, letting them fall to the ground, spinning and twirling in the air. _

_I sit back down next to Cato. We watch the birds fly over our heads and the clouds pass above us._

I wake up to the smell of antiseptic again. The bright lights flood over me and I wait for my eyes slowly adjust. I notice the clean bandages wrapping my wounds. While I was asleep, they must have changed my bandages because these don't have blood stains on them.

Just as I am about to get out of the bed, my family rushes.

"Clove!" my mother shouts, "You're okay." She runs to my bedside followed closely by my dad and brother.

"Yes, I'm okay," I assure them.

"Honey, it's the very beginning of the school year and you almost died." My mom is freaking out over the fact that I almost died. She did have a point, though. "Maybe you should switch schools, for the sake of safety."

"Mom, I'm fine! I don't need to go to a different school."

"Next time it happens, Clove, you are switching." My mom was serious. It was obvious that I don't get a say in this.

"Fine," I mumble. I notice Glen in the corner taking in the conversation. I need to talk to him.

"I'm hungry. Can you possibly go get me some food?" My mom and dad immediately rush out the room to the cafeteria. My brother gets the hint and stays, pulling up the chair Cato sat in yesterday.

"So," he begins grinning, "This boyfriend of yours."

"He's just my friend, Glen!" I argue.

"Yes because 'just friends' carry you back to your house while shirtless," Glen barks.

I fall silent and cross my arms over my chest. I really have no good comeback for that.

"He is a good guy, though," Glen continues, "Apparently, he isn't always half naked." I laugh and smile. "Oh, and he told me to tell you he is coming to visit you right after school tomorrow."

My mom and dad come back in holding a bottle of orange juice and a sandwich.

"Thanks," I say, opening the juice.

The short nurse from yesterday walks back into the room. "Visitors have to go," she demands, holding the curtain open, gesturing for them to leave.

My mom and dad kiss my forehead and walk out the room. My brother follows behind. "By sis," he whispers. I wave goodbye to all of them watching them disappear behind the curtain.

The nurse walks to my side and puts medicine in my IV that I didn't notice was here until now. The cold liquid seeps into my arm and flows through my veins. Almost instantly, I pass out.

_I'm standing in a white room that infinitely stretches out around me._

_"Hello?" I whisper, "Anyone here?" There is no reply. I sit down on the floor and stare at my clothes. I was wearing a cream colored, spring dress with lace on the skirt. A smile crosses my face at the thought of me actually looking pretty in this._

_"CLOVE!" the scream was unmistakable. It was Cato. He sounded like he was in trouble. I hopped to my feet and ran as fast as I could towards the yell._

_"CATO!" I yell, "CATO!" _

_There was no response, but I kept calling for him anyway._

_"CATO!" I scream, "CATO!" _

_This kept happening. I would be running, trying to find Cato, and there would be no sign of him or response. I would call for him with no answer. I don't know how long I was running for, but it felt like forever. _

_"CATO!" I keep screaming, "CATO!"_

_"CLOVE!" I hear faintly in the distance. Cato sounded scared and worried. I needed to find him._

_"CATO!" I call out, "CATO!" I don't stop running, I don't have time._

_"CLOVE!" the voice sounded much closer now. _

_Cato's face appears in the distance. I drop to my knees and start crying. He looks untouched, like nothing happened to him._

_I close my eyes and scream one last time, "CATO!" _

_When I open my eyes, he is right next to me. "I'm here. It's okay." He calms me down, but I am still crying and breathing fast. "Shh Clove," he whispers stroking my hair, "Shh."My breathing returns to normal. Cato lifts his hand off my head and stands up. _

_"Don't go," I plead. _

_Cato sits back down and holds my hand. At that moment, I find that the white room slipping away slowly before it just finally disappears._

My eyes lift awake slowly. My hospital room is different. The curtains are replaced with walls. The bed is nicer; it is more comfortable than the other. I also make out a bathroom attached the wall I was facing. I sit upright.

On a chair in the corner of the room, Cato is asleep, snoring slightly.

I laugh a little and lay back down. I stare up at the ceiling. _I wonder how long it was since the nurse came in and forced me to sleep. _I thought to myself.

I cough slightly at the overwhelming antiseptic smell in this room. The smell is worse than the other room. I gather that is because this room has a door that could possibly trap the scent in here. I can see Cato sit straight up in him chair in the corner of my eye.

I look over at him and smile. "Go back to sleep," I suggest, "It's cute when you snore."

Cato made his way over to my bed. "I'm not sleeping if you are awake," he smiles. He sits down on the edge of my bed and rests his hand on my leg.

"Cato," I begin, "Why am in this room?"

Cato laughs. "You were," he pauses for a second like he is searching for the right words and continues, "disturbing the other patients."

"By doing what, exactly? I was asleep," I argue.

Cato sits there staring down at the bed sheets for a minute. Cato coughs and looks up, "Screaming."

"Screaming? Are you serious? You can't be serious." I run my hand through my hair. I never talk in my sleep let alone scream.

"Shh, it's okay Clove." Cato's voice calms me down. "I'll tell you what happened."

"Yay! Story time."

Cato laughs and looks at me. He smiles at me and gathers his thoughts. "Well, I was at The Academy this morning in weapons training. I was called out of class to go to the office. Your brother was there and pulled me out of school. We hopped in the car and started driving. He took me out of the Academy because you were apparently saying my name in your sleep. See, I thought 'Hey that's cute; she's mumbling my name in her sleep.' We got to the hospital and I was on the way to your room when I heard you scream my name. Of course I freaked out and shouted your name back because I thought they were like torturing you or something. I sprinted to your room and ran even faster when you shouted again. I got here and you screamed again. You were crying and breathing really fast."

He paused, grimacing at the memory of me screaming for him. I wanted to tell him about my dream, but I didn't. "I calmed you down to a state where you weren't freaking out. The doctors asked me to leave, but when I got up to leave you asked me to stay. The doctors didn't want a repeat of what happened, so they let me stay here."

"Well, that's embarrassing." I feel my face go a bright red. I stare down at my hands and hope he didn't see.

"No it's not." Cato laughs and whispers, "By the way, I saw the blush."

I hit his arm and laughed. "So, do you happen to know when I will be released from this prison?"

"Well," he starts, "I believe you are released sometime tomorrow."

"Yay!" Cato laughs at my enthusiasm.

After that, we sit there in silence for a while. I think back to our conversation before I was almost murdered by a psychopath.

"Cato," I say softly. He looks up at me while I continue to stare at the ceiling. "It's Monday." I can see Cato look away from me. "What were you going to ask me?"

Cato sighs, "That was before you almost died."

I sit up and look over at him. "Oh come on, you can tell me." Cato's eyes flicker upward and he smiles.

"Seriously, it can wait."

"Well I can't!" What was the problem with this guy? He was my best friend. What couldn't he tell me?

"I need to go." Cato stands up and walks out of the room. He stops at the door and turns back to me. "See you tomorrow, Clove." The door slams shut behind him and I am left in silence.

I drop onto my back and groan. I wish he just stayed with me.

I drag myself out of the bed and over to the bathroom. I turn on the shower and look at myself in the mirror. My hair was tangled and it looked like I was in a cartoon where I just was electrocuted with the way it explodes outward.

I peel off my hospital gown and climb in. The hot water runs down my back. A sharp pain erupts on my leg. I look down to see the scabbed wound on my leg. _Marilee leans over and starts carving something into my leg with the knife. _I examine my leg and make out the word she wrote on my leg. _BITCH. _I crumple to the floor and cry. The hot water runs over the leg and increases the pain. This will be on my skin forever. I will always be reminded of her. The word will stay forever.

I manage to untangle my hair and get out of the shower. I dry myself with a towel and slip the hospital gown back on. I place my hair in a bun and crawl back into my hospital bed. Somehow, I found myself falling asleep again.

**This was literally my favorite chapter to write. ALL THE FEELS**


	6. Chapter 6

**So I'm pretty sure you will like this chapter. If you don't, then you are obviously in the wrong place. Enjoy :)**

I awake from my dreamless sleep and sit up. At the foot of my bed was a pile of clothes and a note which said:

_Clove_

_Here are some clothes to change into. You are leaving once you are ready. Press the nurse-call button thingy on the bed and then they will escort you to us downstairs. I hope you are feeling better. _

_See you soon,_

_Glen_

I walk over to the bathroom and change into the pair of grey sweatpants, old light blue shirt, and overly large grey sweatshirt. I slip on my running shoes and press the button. Within minutes, the nurse is at my door for me.

We make it downstairs and I run into the embrace of my family. We stand hugging for a few minutes before the nurse interrupts us. "Can you sign the release papers, please?" She shoves the papers in my parents face and impatiently waits for them to sign them. My mom hands the papers back and smiles, leading me to the neighbor's car.

All of us don't speak on the way back. When we reach the house, it is also filled with an awkward silence. I walk up to my room and crawl into bed. All I want is to talk to Cato. He makes me feel so safe. I fall asleep again.

* * *

_Bang Bang Bang._

"What?" I groan and roll onto my stomach, covering my ears with a pillow.

My door creaks open. I hear a few footsteps walk towards me before someone sits on my bed.

"I came to see how you were doing." My dad's voice was soft and warm. "Cato's here."

"Tell him I'm sleeping." I felt my dad get up off my bed. I heard walk down stairs.

"She says she's sleeping." My dad says barely audible to me from downstairs.

"Clove, I know you are awake!" Cato yells to me.

"I totally am asleep." I shout back. His feet pound up the stairs and run over to my room. He reaches my doorway and I fling a pillow at him.

"Oh I see how it is." Cato makes his way to my bed and tickles me to a point where I can barely breathe.

Between giggles and gasps of air, I find away to say, "Cato…. Stop…" He stops tickling me and gives me a few minutes to catch my breath.

My dad shouts to me from downstairs. "Clove, come get your medicine." I groan and roll out of bed. Cato follows me to the kitchen and grabs me some water for my pills.

"Why thank you, servant," I praise and pat his head.

Cato laughs and shoves the glass into my hands. I take all the meds and sit there staring at the now empty water glass.

"Go back to bed," my dad orders from the living room couch.

"No, I don't wanna," I complain like a little child.

Cato shouts over to my dad, "It's okay. I got this." He scoops me up and carries me to my room.

I try to wriggle out of his grasp, but he keeps a hold of me. "I'm not tired." I argue, but to my luck, I yawn immediately after.

"Uh huh, you keep thinking that." Cato smiles and spaces me onto my bed. He pulls the blanket up to my chin. "Now sleep."

I know fighting would be pointless. I have the disadvantage of being injured. So, I just comply and shut my eyes.

"Good night Clove." Cato whispers. I feel his soft lips graze my forehead causing me to smile like an idiot. I open my eyes and reach up to hug him.

"Thank you for saving me," I whisper in his ear. I flop back down onto the bed and wave him goodbye. Cato shuts my door, but leaving it the tiniest bit open.

He was an absolutely amazing friend saving me, protecting me, and staying next to me through everything and what was I? I was a girl who relied on her best friend for everything and gave nothing back in return. I need to thank him somehow.

* * *

_The grass was wet with dew and the sun was just peeking up over the horizon. "Hurry up slow poke," I call back to Cato, who is a good 10 feet behind me. I run up the hill in front of me and wait at the top for Cato._

_He makes his way to the top and looks at me. "Why exactly did I get up at 6 in the morning?"_

_"Because I made this," I respond, gesturing to my left, where a picnic was set up._

_Cato holds out his arm and I take it as we walk over to my picnic. He sits down across from me as I take out a sandwich, tossing at his face. "I don't want a sandwich," he complains, throwing it back in the basket._

_"Then what do you want?" I ask. I made a whole picnic just for him to decline it. _

_"You," he says while standing up and walking over to me._

* * *

"Ugh." My head keeps making me think that I like Cato. He only thinks of me as a friend and that's what I think of him, too.

I crawl out of my bed and walk down the stairs. My stomach grumbles and roars at me. Food it is then.

My family is seated eating dinner at the table. "Oh Clove come join us!" My mom sounds eager for my presence.

I walk over to the table and notice Cato sitting there chatting to my brother. "You're still here?" My dad turns to me and gives me one of those 'that was really rude' kind of looks before leaving the table.

I dish up some spaghetti for myself and sit next to Cato. Cato immediately reaches over and steals a bite of my food. "You have your own food right there on your plate."

"Well, yours is better than mine."

"Cato, it's the exact same food."

Cato eats the rest of his food and walks to the kitchen to place it in the sink.

"He's totally your boyfriend," Glen whispers.

"Glen I'm going to kill you!" I throw some of my food at his face and he throws some back at me. Glen and I end up dumping out plates of food on each other's heads before erupting into laughter.

Mom walks in and almost faints at the sight. "OH MY!" My dad and Cato rush beside her. Cato has to try his best not to laugh when my dad has to try his best not to burst from anger.

"Go clean yourselves up," my dad manages to say without exploding. Glen and I stand up from the table and walk to the bathroom. Cato follows me and Glen.

Glen leans over and whispers in my ear, "Your boyfriend is following us." I slap his arm and walk a little faster.

I get to the bathroom and peel off the spaghetti, throwing it in the trash. Glen does the same thing when he arrives. Cato just stands by the door awkwardly.

Glen whispers to me again, "Your boyfriend-"

"Oh my god, Glen, shut up."

"You know it's true, Clove."

"Ugh." I shove him and I leave the bathroom. I walk to the stairs before Cato stops me.

"What was that about?" He stares at me smiling.

"It was just brotherly sisterly stuff." I say. He didn't really need to know what Glen thinks about us.

"Okay, well, I need to go now. Get some sleep." Cato hugs me before walking to the door. He turns around and smiles. The front door shuts and now he is gone.

"You totally love him," Glen says from behind me.

"I don't Glen!" He was right, though. What I told him was a complete lie. I have fallen for the boy with the swords.

"Mom please can I go back." An hour has past and I am still arguing with my mom. She's very persistent.

"No you haven't fully recovered yet."

"Come on it has been a month since the accident. I think I can handle going back to The Academy now." I cross my arms over my chest and pout.

"Okay, you can go on Monday."

"YES! Thank you Mom." I start to walk off, but my mom continues talking.

"But, if you feel bad or start hurting, come immediately home."

I can't believe I can finally go back. It has been of month of being alone. Cato barely showed up in that month. Something was up with him. At least I can see him tomorrow.

The whole day I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling. There was really nothing I could do in my house except watch Hunger Games reruns. I would rather sit in my room and do nothing than watch The Hunger Games again. It's enough to see them once a year.

After a long day of nothing, I huddle under my covers and drift off to a dreamless sleep.

I roll out of my bed at 6 AM and throw on my clothes. I walk downstairs and grab a piece of toast before I start walking to The Academy. The weather has started getting colder. Leaves are dying and falling to the ground.

I reach The Academy and walk to the Training room. People are giving me looks, but I ignore them and sit down in my seat.

Cato walks through the door and stops. I smile at him and give a small wave. He runs to me and hugs me. "Why didn't you tell me that you were coming back?" He pulls away and sits down.

"I couldn't really do that when you never came around."

Cato's expression changes from happy to guilt in a split second. "Um, yea, sorry," he stutters. Cato rubs the back of his neck with his right hand and bites his bottom lip.

"I'm kidding it's fine." I smile at him and turn my attention to the front of the room where the teacher has entered.

"Go do something." She waves us off and sits at her desk.

Everyone disperses around the room. I look over at Cato who is looking at me. "I am just going to watch right now." I stand up and wait for him to walk to a station.

"No I think I'm going to teach you something today." He walks over to the spear station with me trailing behind him.

"I suck at spears," I groan.

He laughs and throws one over to me. "Exactly." Cato launches the spear from his hand and it lands dead center on the target.

"Is this what you have been doing?" Cato nods and throws another.

He turns to me. "Your turn."

I balance the spear in my hand and throw it. The spear arches upward and then drops to the floor 5 feet away from the target. Cato laughs at my attempt to hit the target.

"It's like throwing a knife," Cato informs me, "A very large knife."

"Thank you, Captain 9-0-2-1-Obvious." I pick up another spear and aim for the target. _Like a knife. _I throw the spear and it lands on the target.

"See, that was great." Even though I didn't get a perfect shot, it was pretty good second try.

Cato and I worked on spears the rest of the class period. It was fun seeing him attempt to teach me. I was an absolutely terrible student.

The day flew by quickly. My injuries seldom bothered me during the day.

Cato and I walked home together. We got to the park and he stopped me. "Are you sure you don't want to walk around?"

"I'm fine." I take a deep breath and grab Cato's hand. We head into the park and slowly walk. Cato tightens his grip on my hand.

We make it to the field where I was attacked. I flash back to that day. I still remember the way Marilee grinned at me and twirled the knife. "Clove, are you okay?" He moves himself in front of me and drops to my eye level.

"Yea, I'm fine." We keep walking.

Cato is still walking with me once we get through the park. "Are you going home?"

"Well, we wouldn't want you getting hurt again." He smiles and keeps walking.

"So you think I can't take care of myself?" Cato laughs and ignores my question. A few leaves fall in front of us and Cato swings me onto his back.

"We are under attack!" He sprints away with me clinging onto him. After about a few hundred feet of running, he puts me down. "I saved your life."

"Why thank you."

"So, that's twice I have saved you. You owe me." Cato smiles at me.

"And how can I make it up to you?"

Cato stands there staring at me before leaning towards me. He presses his lips onto mine. We stand there for a while before he pulls away and whispers into my ear. "I love you." I can't believe it, he loves me.

"I love you, too." He pulls me in for another kiss. Everyone warns us not to get close to anyone because of the games, but I can't resist.

I pull away. "We should-"

"Yea." Cato holds my hand and walks me home. We walk in silence all the way to my house.

When we get there, I stand on my toes in peck his cheek. "See you later." I smile and walk to my door.

"Clove!" Cato shouts from where he was just standing. I turn around and he smiles at me. "I love you." I open my front door and walk into my house.

Glen stands there leaning against the wall grinning at me. "And you said he wasn't your boyfriend."

"He wasn't until today," I mumble before passing him to head up the stairs to my room.

I swing open my door and collapse on my bed smiling like an idiot.

**OKAY IT'S FINAL. THEY ARE TOGETHER. YAY FEELINGS. And I love you if you caught my Detention quote. Well, I already love all of you, sooooo...**

**I will update ASAP :)**


	7. IM SO SORRY

Hey guys,

So mostly I had to rewrite this chapter like 5 times to get it right.

And then my computer shut down and didn't save it.

Soooooo

I'll update ASAP because I know you all hate me for not updating this in forever but please stay with this fanfic

Love you all 3

Stalk me: independentlyinsane dot tumblr dot com


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